Andre Ward had time to sit for coffee and chat last week. Make that a double soy latte, which his nutritionist is not going to be too happy to know.

The WBA super middleweight champion is a regular at Oakland's Coffee With a Beat, and agrees to a sign autographs and take pictures when the patrons recognize him. Ward moved to Danville a few years ago, and gets stopped there when he's out with the wife and kids - even by non-boxing fans.

"People come up to me and say, 'What do you do? You look like you do something,' " Ward said. "I get that a lot. Maybe it's the way I walk."

Oddly enough, the one thing the undefeated boxer is not doing is fighting. He has fought only twice in the past 29 months, sidelined first by a shoulder injury and then by a legal battle with his promoter.

When we sat down, Ward opened up about his pending lawsuit and his frustrations, and how his new job and three kids are keeping him busy.

Q:So, you're a big coffee drinker? No chugging raw eggs to get you going, like Rocky?

A: I probably get two shots a day. I went to a nutritionist; my diet is pretty clean but I wanted to get some more knowledge and understanding in some areas. My two favorite things, Clif Bars and lattes, she just destroyed in our first meeting. Coffee is fine, but soy is the most genetically modified food that we eat. She doesn't think it's good to ingest.

I am trying to tighten things up. I just turned 30 and have been having a lot of issues with meat. You can burn the calories, but what is it doing to your heart? I may give the vegan thing a shot, as soon as I get educated on other sources of protein.

Q:Your new job is being a television analyst for HBO. How is that going, and was there an adjustment getting comfortable criticizing other boxers?

A: I love it. Get to make a living not taking any punches. No one is trying to take your head off, and I get the best seat in the house, talking about something I love.

(Longtime announcer) Jim (Lampley) told me I have to find that balance, and it's tough. I know what the fighters are going through, and even though a guy is not performing well and I respect what he's put in ... and that he's taking punches, I have to say why he's not performing well. It's tough, and I haven't mastered that yet.

You can critique without trashing a guy.

Q:Your fans would love to see you back in the ring. It seems like last August, you and your promoter (Dan Goossen) had made some progress, but you've only fought once since (in November) and don't have any fights lined up. What happened?

Ward: We met, my manager and two promoters, Dan Goossen and Antonio Leonard. I told Dan that Leonard has to be involved ... and he has and was always supposed to be involved, everyone knew that. There was an issue that he didn't have a license in California, and Dan said he would include him once he got his license.

Now, he's gotten his license and Dan still acts like he doesn't know the guy. So I was forced to do what I did.

(Ward has gone to arbitration twice to have his contract - through 2016 - with Goossen broken and lost both times. He has a lawsuit pending. Goossen has declined to comment on the matter.)

Q:Are there other issues?

A: Under the California labor law, you can't have consecutive contracts more than seven years without a break. I signed my extension (in 2011); I wasn't aware of this law. I have been under contract for 9 1/2 years.

Q:Will you fight for Goossen again if nothing changes?

A: The narrative is that I am holding out, and that's just not true. We have been hammering Dan to get us a fight. I am ready to fight. Dan has just been unable to make it happen, whether it's the financing or finding the right opponent.

I extended the invitation to Gennady Golovkin (29-0, WBA and IBO middleweight champion) to fight me, but he doesn't want to. ... Carl Froch (IBF super middleweight champion) kept bringing my name up, so I told him let's talk about it. No response.

Q:Are you mad that you're in the prime of your career, and are sitting on a shelf?

A: I'm human. I'm human. I have my wife to talk and vent to, Virgil (Hunter, his trainer) to talk and vent to, same with my pastor (former Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman). I have good days and bad days. It's very frustrating. It's a very tough season right now.

Q:We were talking about criticism earlier, and you have had your share. You ever feel like sometimes people take shots at you because of your faith, and how vocal and proud you are about it?

A: Absolutely. It's not all the time, but you get a sense when you're reading something that it's no longer about boxing or the performance. It's personal. The faith aspect of it gets misconstrued.

I don't come from a position that I am better than everybody; I come from a position that I had a tough upbringing. And I don't always highlight it, because I just never wanted to be that person with another rags to riches story. My mom had struggles. My dad had struggles. He raised me as a single parent. I rebelled and almost quit amateur boxing, but my faith in God had a lot to do with me slowly getting my life together.

I have to give God glory for that. And he's sustaining me. My faith is not a crutch; it's part of my life. If guys can get on television and talk about the women they slept with and the parties and they can influence kids that way, why can't I talk about my faith? And I try not to be obnoxious about it.

Q:You have three boys and a girl. Would you try to discourage them if they wanted to become boxers?

A: My two older boys ... I have always said I would have to see exceptional talent and a tremendous work ethic. They would have to be holding on to my coattails as I am going to the gym, begging me to go. Those guys never did that. They play track and baseball. ...

But my little guy. He's about to be 2 and he has his own set of gloves. When he comes to the gym, he is locked in. He will watch me spar for 10 rounds, every second. With his little gloves, saying "Fight, Daddy, fight, fight." He may be the next one.